Think of your domain name as a brand. You might have
www.YOURCOMPANYNAME.com or you might have thought of a clever,
memorable name relevant to your business.

For example, in 1995 my former company, Cybergrrl Inc., created
a Web site called Femina.com, the first search engine for
women-related Web sites. While Cybergrrl was our primary brand,
Femina.com quickly gained a strong following, particularly among
librarians and researchers. Femina.com had its own logo and the Web
site had its own "look and feel," meaning a design that
was in line with its purpose.

We promoted Femina.com as a unique Web "property,"
offering sponsorships to advertisers for the site and marketing it
online as its own entity. From day one, we looked at Femina.com as
a brand, not just a Web site, and that thinking paid off. Five
years later Femina.com remains a strong brand name with women
online. So remember: It's not just a Web site, it's a
brand.

Aliza Sherman is an entrepreneur and author of Cybergrrl:
A Woman's Guide to the World Wide Web (Ballantine Books).
She is currently working on her next book and new company.